Sitz bath



Sept. 3, 1963 J. J. MCCARTHY $ITZ BATH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1962 INVENTOR JOHN J. MCCARTHY 6%, mi KW ATTORNEYS Sept. 3, 1963 J. J. MCCARTHY SITZ BATH Filed Sept. 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

INVENTOR JOHN J. MCCARTHY ATTORNEYS to clean, sterilize, and wheel in the sitz bath units.

UnitedStates Patent 3,192,273 Patented Sept. 3, 1963 ICC 3,102,273 SlTTZ BATH John J. McCarthy, 2097 Riverside Drive,

Lakewood 7, Ohio 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 226,083

. 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-6) disrobing and sitting in three inches of Water in a bath tub.

The sitz bath equipment provided foruse in the hos pital usually comprises a chair having a pan or basin seat portion into which warm water is poured. The

chair may be mobile and the pan or basin may be removed from the chair for cleaning and sterilization.

Since these hospital units are expensive, a few units must serve and be used on all patients requiringa sitz bath Warm water during the lavage period. The water is added by hose attachments which are connected directly to hot water'faucets. i i i The patients dislike waiting until the nurse has time Furthermore, even though the unit has been sterilized, the patients dislike bathing their operation site in a unit previouslyused by another patient. Ambulatory hemorrhoidectomy and colporrhalphy patients, as a rule, prefer to administer their own sitz bath at times convenient for them and without the constant surveillance and" supervision of a nurse.

Of course, the self-administration of a sitz bath treatment is permittedonly after a first treatment is given by a nurse with careful instructions to the patient.

Aside from these relatively minor inconveniences endured by the patients and hospital personnel and the expense involved in the sterilization and cleaning of the units, some danger is involved in the re-usev of sitz bath units by different patients. effort expended in cleaning and sterilizing, a possibility exists that there may be cross infections between patients. Ideally a sitz bath unit should be used for a single patient and discarded, but such practice would be prohibitively expensive in view of the equipment presently in use. p

It is a general object of this invention to provide a portable and disposable sitz bath that overcomes many of the above problems.

'It is a more particular object of this invention to provide an inexpensive sitz bath which may be distributed to each patient after per-ineal surgervfor his, own personal use during his stay in the hospital and which may be taken home by the patient for further use.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a portable sitz bath in the form of a basin which may be removably installed on the flanged portion of a conventional toilet or a converted commode for use by the bedside and which has anoverflow opening that prevents spillage onto the floor and which cannot be blocked or obstructed by portions of the patients body.

Despite the time and Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent when the following detailed descripdrawings In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sitz bath device according to the present invention mounted on the flange of a conventional toilet bowl;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the device, the plane of the section beingtindicated by the line 2-2 in FIG- tion is considered in conjunction with the following URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the sitz bath device; FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the device, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 in FIG- ventional toilet bowl 12.

URE. 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of a sitz bath device according to this invention mounted on a mobile commode chair.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, a sitz bath device 10 is shown mounted for use on a rim portion 11 of a con- The sitz bath device 10 comprises an oval basin 13 having a top flange 14 which extends over the rim 11; The upper surface of the top flange 14 is provided with a rounded protuberance 15 which provides rigidity to the flange 14 and which serves to retain any water that may be inadvertently splashed over the edge of the basin and onto the flange 14.

A horizontal ledge 16 is provided at the front portion of the bowl and the plane of the ledge '16 is below the plane of the flange 14. A front wall 17 extends upwardly from the ledge 16 and beyond the protuberance 15 to form an elevated bar 13. The horizontal ledge 16 is provided-with an arcuate overflow slot or opening 19. The front wall 17 abuts the rim 11 of the toilet bowl .12 to insure that water which overflows through the slot 19 will not spill onto the floor. The recessed position of the slot 19 further insures that the slot will not become blocked by the rim 11 and/or portions of the patients body. Furthermore, the provision of the bar 18 over the slot 19 also prevents the patients body from blocking the slot 19 by making it uncomfortable for the patient to keep his thighs together.

The basin 1 3 may be tilled with water of the desired temperature by a suitable hose (not shown). The patient may continually admit Water to the basin in this manner or merely from time to time to maintain the proper temperature. Since the basin 13 is light in weight and contains only a few pints of Water, the patient may easily lift the basin and pour its contents directly into the toilet bowl after completion of the treatment.

The foregoing description has been directed to the use of the sitz bath device 10* in conjunction with a conventional toilet bowl. While this arrangement is satisfactory for home use by the patient, it may not be practical in the hospital since it would render many of the toilet bowls unavailable for their intended purpose. Thus, as is shown in FIGURE 5, the sitz bath device 10 may be placed in the seat opening of a standard commode chair 20. The basin 13 nests in this opening and the top flange v14 rests on the deck portion 21 of the chair 20. Astandard catch basin or pan 22 provided on the chair 20 serves to receive the overflow from the slot 19. to conduct his sitz bath treatment at his bedside without occupying the hospital toilet facilities for lengthy.

This arrangement enables the patient I i the appended claims, the invention may be practiced 2. A sitz bath according to claim 1 including an upotherwise than as specifically shown and described. wardly extending protuberance on said flange.

What is claimed is.

1. A sitz bath comprising a basin, an outwardly ex- References Cited in the file of this patent tending top flange on said basin, an outwardly extend- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS ing ledge portion formed in the side wall of said basin below said flange, the wall of said basin extending up- 212511039 Da S11v3 July 1941 wardly from the outer edge of said ledge portion to form a bar above said flange and above said ledge portion, FOREIGN PATENTS and an overflow opening in said ledge portion. 10 121,056 France Apr. 30, 1956 

1. A SITZ BATH COMPRISING A BASIN, AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING TOP FLANGE ON SAID BASIN, AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING LEDGE PORTION FORMED IN THE SIDE WALL OF SAID BASIN BELOW SAID FLANGE, THE WALL OF SAID BASIN EXTENDING UP- 